We are proud to have been an integral part of bringing the 2020 Canadian Event Industry Awards to life, virtual style.

The Canadian Event Industry Awards is one of the most rigorous and challenging award competitions in the world for event professionals.

After 21 years Canadian Special Events Magazine has perfected the recipe for success when it comes to celebrating the best of the best in the Canadian Events World.

Each year, more than 500 event industry professionals from across Canada gather in one central location to enjoy an Awards Gala. The gala itself is an event. Traditionally hosted at a Toronto Venue, the evening consists of a reception, networking, gala dinner, entertainment and awards. From start to finish, the event can easily run four or more hours.

With the onset of COVID, plans were made to postpone until all could safely gather. When it became apparent this would be a very long wait, back-up plans were put into motion.

While not a new idea, virtual events have traditionally been an ad hock, add-on.

This became an opportunity to bring the solution to the fore front, and do what bb Blanc does  best, create event magic.

Trish Knox of TK Events, always a supporter of the awards and the industry, stepped up with her platform for the “front end”. A place for the attendees to gather virtually for cocktails, network and enjoy entertainment prior to the event start.

We  stepped up with a solid foundation solution, 22 calendar days prior to event day.

bb Blanc provided the technical backbone with the central event stage. The evenings’ host and EMCC was live from the studio with a branded backdrop and provided continuity throughout the evening.

With 36 event categories/awards and attendees tuning in from across the country, the event not only had to be entertaining, and engaging, it had to be flawless as well.

In advance of the event, several areas of the country had begun to relax their COVID protocols. While travel was not an option, there were opportunities for several locations to host smaller “watch parties”. We were able to connect with these locations and have them interact with the host on stage so that other attendees could see them as well.

An added bonus to the evening was that no matter where the attendees were globally, they could tune in and watch, many of whom included their families. Something they normally could not do. This resulted in an increase in attendance overall.

While the in-person gala could run anywhere from four-five hours, taking in the reception and the event itself, the overall team was very cognizant of keeping the audience engaged. This included keeping the event on track efficiently. The overall event itself ran slightly over two and a half hours. The virtual event did include reception, networking activities, entertainment and awards.

Taking a long-time in-person event to a virtual platform can be challenging. We follow the same formula we do with all events, keeping the end goals and objectives in mind. From there we work back to ensure all details are covered. For this event, this included weekly, and sometimes daily, check-in calls.

With the addition of new digital platforms and features daily,  we continue to evaluate the best fit for each event and combine the solutions to provide the best end result.

Looking to go virtual for your upcoming event?